Manny Ascui leaned back in his chair, watching DJ Shadow’s “Nobody Speak” video play on the monitor. The two world leaders in the clip were already mid-brawl, microphones swinging, papers flying, the chaos framed like a news broadcast gone mad.
Joe Jukic, his webmaster, chuckled and said, “You see, Manny, that cleaning lady at the end—she’s the real hero. Look at her face. She’s thinking, ‘All this nonsense, and I still gotta mop it up.’”
Manny smirked. “Yeah, Joe, she probably could’ve done a better job running the United Nations. At least she cleans up her own mess.”
Joe nodded. “Exactly. Politicians start wars and give speeches about peace. The cleaning lady? She actually restores order. No ego, no cameras, just a mop and integrity.”
Manny laughed. “Maybe next time the UN should hire janitors for the General Assembly. Replace every diplomat with someone who actually knows what work means.”
Joe grinned. “Now that would be a world government I could get behind — mops, buckets, and truth.”
The video ended, the cleaning lady staring into the camera one last time. Manny said quietly, “That’s the look of someone who’s seen it all, Joe — the fall of civilization and still punches the clock.”
Joe smiled. “Maybe DJ Shadow knew it all along. The revolution won’t be televised — but it might be cleaned up after.”